Our concern is high for those who are struggling with flooding this spring. Please contact our office should the need for food in emergency shelters arise.

It is with mixed feelings that we bid farewell to Marlyce Micklos who is retiring April 8. She has been an integral part of this office for nearly 19 years providing training, technical assistance, and encouragement to many folks in the field of child nutrition. We are happy for her and her new ventures, but will miss her. Thanks, Marlyce, for your commitment to the children of South Dakota.

Remember to submit comments to USDA on the proposed School Lunch and Breakfast Meal Pattern Guidelines. They are due April 13. Check out the CANS reauthorization page to view the webinars on reauthorization and meal pattern proposals. You can make comments electronically by clicking on the upper right hand corner “How to make a comment”, or you can write your comments and mail them to Julie Brewer, Chief, Policy and Program Development Branch, Child Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 640, Alexandria, Virginia 22302-1594.

We know that changes will be coming in the areas of whole grains, reducing sodium, and increasing the quantities of fruits and vegetables. If you have not done so already, start making those small steps that will get you where you need to be.

Start planning now for the summer events – the operational training for Summer Food Service Program, the series of Child & Adult Care Food Program workshops, annual Child Nutrition Institute, and the School Nutrition Association of SD annual conference are some that come to mind immediately.

Reauthorization

A webinar was held on March 22 explaining what we know to date regarding reauthorization. We expect several policies implementing various pieces of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 yet this year with proposed regulations and more policies to follow in the next couple of years. Be sure to submit your comments of support or concern and your questions to USDA when the proposed regulations come out.

Backpacks

Each month we receive questions about the Backpack Program. This typically supplies food for children in need to take home to eat in the evening or over a weekend. This program is not funded by US Department of Agriculture; therefore, we do not have rules about how the program operates. However, there are existing rules that do affect how the food distribution programs and child nutrition programs work with these backpack programs.

• Schools may, if they so choose, identify “children in need” to those who operate the backpack programs; however, they may not identify them as eligible for free/reduced price meals. The eligibility is confidential information that cannot be shared with this program. There are children in need who are not eligible for free and reduced price meals, and there are some children who are eligible for meal benefits who may not be in need of the backpack program.

• Foods received for use in school or the TEFAP program may not be sent home with children in backpack programs, nor can meals served in school where food has been purchased with program funds or made with USDA foods be sent home with the children. Watch for the an article in this bulletin about the TEFAP foods. There is also an article about the concern for sending products that are not sealed is food safety.

This year’s Institute is June 19-24 on the campus of Augustana College. We have a great week of learning and fun planned for you!! All Tracks will include a session on reauthorization as well as where we are with the proposed meal patterns. Some tracks will cover the information in more depth than others.

Here’s a run down of your Track options:

Track 1

The Basics, Food Safety and Sanitation is the focus

Foods Lab Principles-revamped this year towards the skills needed for home-style cooking

Track 5 - Healthier Schools Track Open to child nutrition personnel as well as any one interested in improving the nutritional environment at their school or agency i.e. teachers, administrators, nurses, school board members)

Update, assess, and measure your school’s wellness policy

Find funding and grant writing for nutrition related projects

Creating a healthier school environment

Track 6

Reauthorization information - Implementation schedule

Proposed Meal Pattern Information - What can I or should I be doing now—Hands on work with your school’s menus!

Healthy Cooking Techniques Lab—Hands on!!

Marketing Your Program - How do I get children to eat foods they are not familiar with?
- Nutrition education ideas for your school lunch cafeteria
- Nutrition education for parents

Scratch Baking Using Whole Grains How to meet the proposed requirement of more whole grains in your school’s menus

Farm to School—Hands on!! - A visit to a working farm is being planned
- How do I start to incorporate locally grown foods into my program

Registration
The deadline for early bird registration is nearing, so get your registration and payment in now!!
Go to: CNI's webpage on the DOE website. On the right hand side of the page, you will see the heading Documents. Under Documents you have two choices: Online or Paper.

To submit an Online Registration, click the link Online Registration Form

• You will be directed to the registration form.
• Follow the steps on the registration form, click the submit button, and you will be registered.
• You will receive an email confirmation back within a few days letting you know how much you owe for registration.
• Your registration is not considered complete, until both the registration form and payment are made.

To submit a Paper Registration, choose the Paper Registration Form 2011

• Print off a copy of the registration form. (directions on how to complete the form are available right underneath the registration form)
• Complete the form manually (the form is not designed to let you type in your information on the computer)
• Calculate your registration fee
• Send in payment with your registration fee
• Your registration is not considered complete, until both the registration form and payment are made.

More information including prices, daily schedules, along with the registration blank can be found on the right hand side of the page under Documents at http://doe.sd.gov/cans/CNI.asp If you are unable to access the information, please contact our office at 605-773-3413 and we will send it to you.

There really is something for everyone!! Don’t miss out on this one of a kind educational opportunity! Take this opportunity to learn new things, network with old friends, and spend a week “re-energizing” as you begin to think about school year 2011-12. If you have questions, contact Janelle Peterson at 773-2977 or Shar Venjohn at 773-3413.

Voting Begins for Recipes for Kids Challenge

Voting has begun for the 15 semi-finalists who have been selected in the “Recipes for Kids Challenge”. Let’s Move! challenged school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, and parents to create tasty, healthy, exciting new recipes for use in school lunch menus. Categories include Whole Grains, Dark Green and Orange Vegetables, or Dry Beans and Peas.

We Can! trainings offer a diverse group of people working in a broad array of settings (for example schools, tribal organizations, health departments, Faith-based organizations, community youth programs) the opportunity to learn more about the We Can! national movement. These trainings are designed to be instructional and interactive, and offer networking opportunities for anyone concerned about the growing problem of childhood overweight and obesity.

Team Nutrition is sponsoring We Can! 2 day training, July 12-13, 2011 at Cedar Shores in Oacoma, SD. The training will give an overview of We Can! program. It will also provide training in four easy to use curriculums: one for parents and CATCH Kids Club, Media-Smart Youth, and SPARKS. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to success stories of those who have used the We Can! Program, and have time to network with your team, and plan how to implement the training.

Mini grants are available to pay all expense for your team to attend the training. The application for the mini grant is available online at the S.D. Team Nutrition web page. At the training you will have the opportunity to fill out a one page application for an additional mini grant for $2,000 to implement the training.

Application due by July 27, 2011 or may be submitted on the day the training is completed.

Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation week

School Nutrition Employee Appreciation week is May 2-6. The School Nutrition Association has designated one week each year to honor school nutrition employees. Be sure to set aside some time to celebrate just how special these employees are.

Certificates of appreciation are available from Child and Adult Nutrition Services for long-term employees or retiring employees to be honored. Certificates can be requested at 10 years and at 5-year intervals there after. Certificates for retirees can be requested at any time.

Written requests should be submitted to CANS by April 15 to the attention of Shar. Send email requests to shar.venjohn@state.sd.us, by fax at 605-773-6846, or use our mailing address of 800 Governors Drive, Pierre SD 57501-2235.

Regulations allow the Summer Food Service Program operation to begin the day after school lets out and to continue through the day before school resumes. Some sponsors choose to operate only one or two months. More information on Summer School is found the SFSP webpage the application deadline is April 8, 2011.

The state agency is holding Operational Workshops this year for the Summer Food Service Programs in May, 2011. These workshops are for training the personnel responsible for meal preparation and service, sanitation, meal supervision, and the meal counts. Training is required annually and it can be done by the sponsor or you had the opportunity to register by the February 25, 2011 deadline for trainings and workshops. Space is limited at each of the training sites.

Sponsors that have indicated they were sending staff to Operational Workshops will be contacting this month for the names of the food service staff you will be sending.

Date

Location

Tuesday, May 10

Sioux Falls

Thursday, May 12

Pierre

Tuesday, May 17

Rapid City

For additional information, you may contact the Summer Food Service Coordinator at Child and Adult Nutrition Services, Julie McCord at (605) 773-3110 or access our website. This agency is an equal opportunity provider.

TEFAP – Foods Not for Back Packs

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) USDA foods are household sized cans and intended to be used for families to take home and use to stretch their household food budget. These foods can supplement other foods purchased by the family to make a nutritious meal.

TEFAP foods cannot be used in the Back Pack Program. The TEFAP guidance is specific that recipients must sign for the food using the TEFAP income eligibility chart to verify income, household size, name and address. The Back Pack Program is not associated with TEFAP. The children receiving food with the Back Pack Program are anonymous. It is not appropriate to use any of the USDA foods/commodities for the Back Pack Program and we want to be sure that all recipient agencies are not using it for the Back Pack Program.

The last orders will be placed in May for the June delivery and then there will be no deliveries until September. Plan accordingly if you are distributing food to your families throughout the summer.

Will you be taking the HealthierUS School Challenge?

Can your school qualify for a Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC) Award?
Take the Quiz below:

• Does your school provide a healthy school environment?
• Do your school meals meet the Dietary Guidelines?
• Do students have opportunities for be physically active and to learn about nutrition?
• Are you a Team Nutrition School?

If you answered “Yes” to the questions above, then you are on your way to qualifying for a monetary award for the schools in your district who meet the criteria.

The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) is a national certification initiative available to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. USDA instituted it to acknowledge schools that create healthier school environments through promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. The four levels of monetary awards are: Bronze ($500); Silver ($1,000); Gold ($1,500); and Gold of Distinction ($2,000). Each school who qualifies will receive the monetary award depending on the level for which they applied. For example, if you have 4 elementary schools that meet the criteria for the Bronze level, then $2000.00 will go into the school food service account for those schools.

As a reminder, CANS has several DVDs of the training that was offered as a pre-conference at the State SDSNA conference in Huron last fall that are available for checkout. The six hour workshop was presented by Clare Miller, a consultant with the National Food Service Management Institute. If you have not been able to attend any HUSSC workshops you may want to checkout DVDs to find out what it’s all about and how to begin the process of applying.
Check out the HUSSC criteria and application information on the USDA Team Nutrition website at www.teamnutrition.usda.gov/healthierUS/index.html.

Let us know how we can assist you and if we can list you as a school ready to take the challenge! Contact Mary Kirk at 773-4718 or Jean Schuurmans at 773-6026 for more information.

South Dakota State University distance education will offer a three credit course in nutrition basics for teachers, foodservice staff, administrators, after school program staff, and others who teach nutrition. This is a basic human nutrition class that covers topics of the food groups, how to eat healthy, food safety and labeling, and nutrition for different life stages. Participants will study recommendations for the food groups, current trends in eating patterns, government regulations that apply to foods, and how nutritional status and needs change during different life events. There will be opportunities to apply learning in class.

Cost of the course is $120 for graduate or undergraduate credit or $5 for 16 Continuing Educations Units. The course begins online May 31, 2011 and can be completed within one month; however, it will remain open for completion until August 5, 2011 to accommodate summer schedules.

There are several helpful fact sheets on the Food Distribution Division website, including, “Food Allergen” Fact Sheet, “Trans Fats on the Nutrition Facts Labels”, and NEW “Season Your Foods Without Salt.” The “Season Your Foods Without Salt” Fact Sheet was developed to help participants in household programs with ways to make foods more flavorful without having to add salt.

The CACFP Basic workshops are designed for new staff that need to be trained in the basics of the CACFP. The basic training class is limited to 25 participants per class. The CACFP Plus! workshops are designed for veteran staff that have a solid understanding of Program requirements. Pre-registration is required for all workshops. There is no charge to attend. For more information please contact Melissa Halling at (605) 280-2696.

The dates and locations of the CACFP Basic training are as follows:

May 3 Sioux Falls - Sioux Falls School District
May 11 Rapid City - Youth & Family Services
June 7 Pierre - MacKay Building

The NCCIC Library collection contains over 20,000 summaries and availability information for published documents of interest to policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers and other members of the child care community. Links to full-text publications about child care and school-age issues are provided when available. If you go to their library search page you can search their library resources whenever you would like.

Mealtime Memo for Child Care

The March 2011 issue of Mealtime Memo for Child Care, the monthly newsletter that includes menus, recipes, and activities related to child care, is now online.

Only one new policy memo has come out since the last Nutrition Bulletin that applies to the programs. The USDA website http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/regulations.htm is where you can find the legislation, regulations, and policy.

SP 22-2011, CACFP 13-2011, SFSP 08-2011 Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2010: Cooperation with Program Research and Evaluation of Child Nutrition Programs clarifies requirements for participation in evaluations and research in the Child Nutrition Programs and explains that State agencies, local educational agencies, schools, institutions, facilities and contractors participating in the Child Nutrition Programs authorized under the NSLA and Child Nutrition Act of 1966 are required to cooperate with the Department of Agriculture officials and contractors conducting evaluations and research.

To be included in the 2011– 12 net off invoicing (NOI) program, your FINAL Numbers and award winning distributor information will need to be received on or before May 27, 2011. If it is not in until the 27th and incomplete, it will not be included. The process does take some time to complete. Please plan ahead.

Order blank items:

We are working to eliminate items at the warehouse on the April order blank. If you see “Very Ltd Qty” it means we may only have 10 cases on hand but we need to get all cases of the product out of the warehouse.

B545 Brown Rice
There have been issues this past month with bugs showing up when a school starts to prepare the brown rice.

• Check your rice prior to use for the presence of bugs. If the rice appears OK, it will be fine to use.
• If you do find bugs in the rice you will need to completely fill out a loss report and electronically submit. See link below.
• If you are not able to use all of your brown rice before school is out, completely fill out the electronic commodity loss report for what is left at the end of your school term. You can type your name on the second page for the signature of the person filing out the report and then press submit in the upper right corner.
• Email Mark Moen to make sure he knows you have completed a loss report.

Anticipated SY 2011-12 Orders

The Anticipated SY 2011-12 orders document has the item and number of trucks that are being requested for purchase with tentative shipping dates. As with all orders placed with USDA, these are subject to purchase by USDA, contracts issuance, product availability, weather, and entitlement. USDA will also be watching to make sure all commodity brokers have a fair and level playing field (fruits, vegetable, meats, and legumes are being purchased). USDA cannot and should not only purchase chicken for the entire country.

The listing is to be used as a reference not an actual notice of availability. If prices rise and we use more entitlement to make purchases for beef, for example in SY 10-11 prices for A608 beef ranged from $70.62 to $106.30, we will be forced to either cancel orders for beef or another USDA Food that has not been issued a contract.

Used Erica bun roller being surplused at the Belle Fourche School District. If interested contact
Susan Proefrock, Business Manager, 605-723-3355 or Rhonda Johnson, Food Service Director, 605-723-3377.

Kellogg Company and Action for Healthy Kids have launched an online initiative titled Share Your Breakfast. From now until July 31, upload a breakfast photo or description to shareyourbreakfast.com or text that information to 21534. For every shared photo or description, Kellogg will donate the monetary equivalent of a school breakfast.

With one in four children living in homes where food is not always available, school breakfast is more important than ever. “If more schools can offer breakfast to their students, students will be better equipped to reach their potential, both inside and outside the classroom,” said Doug VanDeVelde, senior vice president of marketing and innovation at Kellogg.